NL boys rout South Johnston, end skid

Reeling from four straight losses North Lenoir’s boys basketball team wanted to start the new year off right.

The Hawks did so with a bang.

Ryan Herman / Sports Editor

LA GRANGE — Reeling from four straight losses North Lenoir’s boys basketball team wanted to start the new year off right.

The Hawks did so with a bang.

Jauquaz Jones scored 22 points and North Lenoir cruised to a 68-37 win over winless South Johnston on Wednesday.

Braxton Davis opened the game with a 3-pointer, the Hawks (7-7, 2-0 Eastern Carolina 3A) scored the first 13 points, opened a 21-6 first-quarter lead and never looked back.

“It being the new year we just wanted to come back and rededicate ourselves to some things,” North Lenoir coach Anthony Loftin said.

“We’re still in first place, and our ultimate goal is to win the conference..”

Coming into Wednesday’s league matchup the Hawks hadn’t won since defeating South Lenoir 77-66 on Dec. 14 — the last of a five-game win streak. Since, they’ve fallen to Farmville Central after the Jaguars rallied late, were defeated soundly by Kinston then dropped two in a Christmas tournament at Wallace-Rose Hill.

With nothing but league games ahead of it on the schedule, North Lenoir knew it had to start 2013 off right and it did.